The present invention relates to a new and improved carton, and more particularly a generally cylindrical tub-shaped carton and blank for making same, which is particularly suited for containing a food product, such as butter or margarine. The carton of the subject invention is formed of a single sheet of paperboard material having a new and unique configuration so as to result in a cylindrical container, having an unobstructed top portion, and a flat, reinforced rigid base portion, thereby greatly facilitating the loading of the carton with butter or margarine, and offering increased capacity, at a reduced manufacturing cost of the carton. In addition, when employing conventional carton filling equipment, the flat bottom offers improved sealing capability of the resulting carton even under application of a mandrel pressure during packaging of the food products into the carton.
Heretofore, semi-soft food products, such as butter or margarine, have been packaged in paper outer wrappers, and more recently in molded plastic containers of generally tub-shaped configuration. Because of the molding operation and the cost of manufacture, it is appreciated that the cost of the resulting plastic container is relatively high, as compared to a container formed of a paper or paperboard material. It is also known to provide cartons of tub-shaped configuration formed of a single paperboard blank wherein, in order to achieve a cylindrical configuration of the carton from a single blank, the base of the resulting carton has included arcuate portions or depressions, thereby decreasing the volume of the resulting carton, and creating, in effect, false bottoms in the carton. Furthermore, with such depressions or false bottoms, the resulting base of such carton is not flat, and thus is less stable than desired, especially during filling of the carton with the food product.